Perth kitchen heavyweights bolster Good Food Month lineup

By Allen Newton

March 2, 2019 — 9.06am

The superstars and the rising stars of some of Perth’s leading kitchens will be throwing their weight behind Good Food Month in April.

Chefs such as Scott Brannigan from Bread In Common, Nic Wood from QT’s Santini Bar and Grill, Joel Valvasori-Pereza from Lulu La Delizia, Alexandra Haynes from Lalla Rookh, Mario di Natale from Garum and Dan Masters from Rockpool have well and truly earned their stripes in Perth’s culinary scene.

But youngsters such as James Higgs from Lulu La Delizia, Jason Scott from Millbrook Winery and Liam Davidson from Bread in Common are nipping at their heels and out to prove themselves at this year’s Young Chefs Dinner presented by Citi on Sunday, April 7.

The youngsters will be taking over the hatted kitchen at Bread in Common in Fremantle under the watchful eye of Brannigan, while they prepare a three-course dinner with matched wines.

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Head chef of Bread in Common, Brannigan takes the role of guiding the three young chefs very seriously.

“Young people are a massive future in this industry,” he says. “To be involved and to mentor these people through this beautiful dinner is great.”

Brannigan says each of the young chefs come from a heritage of great chefs and great leaders.

They will also be showing off great variety in the meal coming from restaurants that do different things, but with the same ethos.

“The menu is beautiful, there will be a raw fish dish to start, then pork belly and dessert – well the chef is a bit secretive about that – but I know it will be good,” Brannigan says.

“And of course artisanal bread and butter, we are at Bread in Common.”

Young chef Jason Scott says he is excited to be involved in Good Food Month. He has always wanted to be a chef.

“I remember being young, with an apron my grandmother had bought me, baking and cooking in the kitchen,” Scott says.

“I first fell in love with cooking when I first came to WA from Queensland and I stepped in to a kitchen doing breakfasts. I fell in love with the environment, the fast pace and the work, it was amazing.

“And I just wanted to do more and be better so I went to TAFE and that’s when things really kicked off and I did my apprenticeship.”

Scott has already won several awards including Third Year Apprentice of the Year WA and in the same week was a gold medallist for Nestle, which he says has been rewarding.

“I have always loved cooking and being a chef and the lifestyle which comes with it,” he says.

“I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t cook. I cook every day and think about food constantly.”

Scott finished his apprenticeship at Co-Op Dining before moving to Millbrook Winery.

“Guy Jeffries is an amazing chef and I have always wanted to work under him,” he says.

It will be a first for Scott to work with Brannigan and is excited to work alongside him.

Scott is already preparing, planting seeds in seedling trays for the dinner.

“I am doing the entrée – it will be seafood and lots of WA produce – and I will have grown lots of it,” he says.

As well as the showcase events, another element of Good Food Month will be a program called Let’s Do Lunch.

Lalla Rookh is one of the restaurants involved in the April promotion in which diners can sample Perth's best lunch offerings at Good Food Guide-hatted restaurants for a specially curated price of $45 including a glass of wine, beer or soft drink.

Head chef at Lalla Rookh Alexandra Haynes says she will be offering patrons in the month of April a taste of modern Italian cooking.

“A fresh and lighter style of Italian cooking is what we do at Lalla Rookh,” she said. “The April option for lunch reflects that.”

Other Good Food Month events include: Greco-Roman Affair at Garum; Triplo Italo with Nic Wood from QT’s Santini Bar and Grill, Joel Valvasori-Pereza from Lulu La Delizia and Enrico Tomelleri of Sydney’s 10 William Street, which has sold out; and High Tea with Anna Polyviou on the rooftop at QT Perth.